page_title: Burqa
section_title: Pre-Islamic use of the face veil
hierarchical_section_title: Burqa / Pre-Islamic use of the face veil
caption_attribution_description: English: Palmyra (Syria), Temple of Baal (17-32). Relief with a group of veiled Arab women. Italiano: Palmyra (Siria), Tempio di Baal (17-32). Bassorilievo raffigurante un gruppo di donne arabe, forse in processione, che indossano il velo integrale.
context_page_description: A burqa or burka, also known as a chadaree in Afghanistan or a paranja in Central Asia, is an enveloping outer garment which covers the body and the face that is worn by women in some Islamic traditions. The Arab version of the burqa is called the boshiya, and is usually black in color.
  The term burqa is sometimes conflated with niqāb. In more precise usage, niqab is a face veil that leaves the eyes uncovered, while a burqa covers the entire body from the top of the head to the ground, with only a mesh screen allowing the wearer to see in front of her. The burqa is also not to be confused with the hijab, a garment which covers the hair, neck and all or part of the chest, but not the face.
  The burqa and other types of face veils have been attested since pre-Islamic times. Face veiling has not been regarded as a religious requirement by most Islamic scholars, past or present. However, some scholars, especially those belonging to the Salafi movement, view it as obligatory for women in the presence of non-related males. Women may wear the burqa for a number of reasons, including compulsion, as was the case in Afghanistan during Taliban rule.
context_section_description: The face veil was originally part of women's dress among certain classes in the Byzantine Empire and was adopted into Muslim culture during the Arab conquest of the Middle East.
  However, although Byzantine art before Islam commonly depicts women with veiled heads or covered hair, it does not depict women with veiled faces. In addition, the Greek geographer Strabo, writing in the first century AD, refers to some Median women veiling their faces; and the early third-century Christian writer Tertullian clearly refers in his treatise The Veiling of Virgins to some "pagan" women of "Arabia" wearing a veil that covers not only their head but also the entire face. Clement of Alexandria commends the contemporary use of face coverings. There are also two Biblical references to the employment of covering face veils in Genesis 38.14 and Genesis 24.65, by Tamar and by Rebeccah, Judah and Abraham's daughters-in-law respectively. These primary sources show that some women in Egypt, Arabia, Canaan and Persia veiled their faces long before Islam. In the case of Tamar, the Biblical text, 'When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; because she had covered her face' indicates customary, if not sacral, use of the face veil to accentuate rather than disguise sexuality.
  The Afghan chadaree style of burqa has been worn by Pashtun women since pre-Islamic times and was historically seen as a mark of respectability.
caption: Pre-Islamic relief showing veiled Middle Eastern women, Temple of Baal, Palmyra, Syria, 1st century CE.
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